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00:00I wish other people would ride their bikes instead of always using cars.
00:20Dear Tim and Moby, I don't understand what my teacher means when he asks me to find the
00:24main idea.
00:25Can you help me?
00:26From Gladys.
00:27Sure, Gladys.
00:29The main idea is just the main point that's being stated in a paragraph, essay, article,
00:34or other passage.
00:36It's what's specifically being said about a particular topic.
00:39The topic of a paragraph or passage is the general subject.
00:43Okay, well, say you're reading an article about how cheetahs can run at very high speeds.
00:49The topic would be cheetahs, because that's the general subject of the article, cheetahs.
00:53And the main idea would be that cheetahs can run fast, because that's the point the article
00:57is trying to get across.
00:59Details support what the author is trying to say with examples.
01:02It's sort of like evidence as to why the main idea is true.
01:06The details would explain what makes a cheetah run so fast, how fast it can run, things like
01:10that.
01:11All right, let's read this paragraph and try to find the main idea.
01:16Not only is smoking cigarettes a disgusting and smelly habit, it's also extremely bad
01:20for your health.
01:21It has been proven to cause cancer, lung disease, and heart disease, and to weaken your immune
01:27system.
01:28Smoking makes it a lot harder to breathe, which means it's more difficult to play sports
01:32and get the exercise you need to stay healthy.
01:35It is also harmful for those hanging around a smoker, because they breathe the smoky air.
01:40Even though most people are aware of how bad smoking is for them, more than 1,000 people
01:44die each day from its effects.
01:47So first, let's figure out the topic.
01:49What would you say the topic is, the general subject that this paragraph is discussing?
01:55That's right, the topic is smoking, specifically cigarette smoking.
01:58Now let's try to find the main idea.
02:01To find the main idea, ask yourself, what point is the writer trying to make?
02:06It's always helpful to skim through the passage again and see what words are repeated and
02:10what idea the author is trying to stress or get across.
02:14What do you think the main idea is, Moby?
02:17Well, the writer is saying that smoking is gross, but more specifically, that smoking
02:23is bad for your health.
02:25You can tell this from the details in the paragraph, that smoking causes cancer and
02:29heart and lung disease, that it makes you sick, and that it makes it hard to breathe.
02:35Sometimes the main idea will be at the start of a paragraph or article.
02:38In the passage we just read, the writer pretty much stated the main idea in the first sentence.
02:43But the main idea can be stated anywhere in a piece of text.
02:46Sometimes it's in the second or third paragraph, for instance, or sometimes it'll come at the
02:49very end as a conclusion.
02:52It's not always that clear, though, and sometimes you have to do a little more work to figure
02:55it out.
02:56One important thing to remember is that sometimes you're going to have to re-read the passage
03:00and go back to it a few times to get a good sense of what's being discussed.
03:04Let's look at the newspaper article that Moby was reading earlier.
03:08When we can, it's important to carpool, use public transportation like buses and trains,
03:13ride a bike, or walk instead of driving a car.
03:16These things release fewer dangerous toxins into the air.
03:20You may not realize it, but air pollution is becoming a bigger problem every day.
03:24It is terribly damaging to the environment and the air we breathe.
03:29For this reason, we should try to cut back on harmful emissions.
03:33One of the best ways to reduce pollution is to use methods of transportation that are
03:37less harmful to the environment.
03:39So what would you say are the topic and main idea in this passage?
03:43Right, the topic is air pollution.
03:47And the main idea is that driving cars less helps reduce air pollution.
03:51Yes, and riding your bike is a good way to do that.
03:54Anyway, if you're ever stuck on finding a main idea, it helps to ask yourself general
03:58questions about the passage.
04:00They can be things like, is it about a person, an idea or theory, an event?
04:05That way you can start by getting a broader idea of what's being discussed.
04:09Another helpful thing you do is pretend that someone has asked you what the paragraph or
04:12essay is about.
04:14If you can give an answer that sums up the passage in just one sentence, you've probably
04:17got the main idea.
04:21But we just got home, where are we supposed to ride our bikes to?
04:25What do you mean we can't stop riding our bikes?
04:28I'm not so sure you got the main idea of that article.